Bloomberg: Roche's Avastin Faces FDA Withdrawal In Breast Cancer Roche Holding AG's top-selling drug Avastin should no longer be used to treat breast cancer after recent studies failed to show a benefit, U.S. regulators said (Larkin and Kresge, 12/16).

Reuters: U.S. and Europe Seek Limits On Roche's Avastin Roche's top drug Avastin should no longer be approved for breast cancer, U.S. health officials said on Thursday in an unusual move that could shave $1 billion from annual sales (Richwine and Hirschler, 12/16).

PBS NewsHour: FDA: Avastin Does Not Work For Breast Cancer Treatment The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it is beginning the process of revoking approval for the drug Avastin for use in the treatment of breast cancer. In a statement, the agency said that four independent trials have shown that Avastin does not increase life expectancy for breast cancer patients and that it has serious side effects, including high blood pressure, bleeding and hemorrhaging, holes in the intestines and stomach, and heart failure (Winerman, 12/16).

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